Spicy Sticky Cinnamon Rolls

First let me say that these were very tasty - the dough had a lovely texture and I really liked the extra spices in the filling. The only reason they aren't 5 stars is because of the following issues:

1. It was very difficult to incorporate the softened butter to the milk mixture if you are doing this by hand (which is how the recipe is written). I would completely melt (and slightly cool) the butter before adding it to the milk mixture OR just use a mixer (I did this the second time and it worked great).
2. I didn't need anywhere near 15 minutes to knead the dough for it to reach the right texture; I would say 7-10 at the very most (whether by hand or using a mixer with a dough hook).
3. I think it would work better to cream the brown sugar and spices into softened butter and then spread that on the dough--they were a mess to roll and a lot of butter leaked out the bottom of the rolls.
4. I ended up having to bake them for 40 minutes--after 20, mine were still doughy in the middle.